Although it is not a form of government, religion affects politics, so much so that, in a book about politics, one can not ignore it. Here I limit myself to consider Catholicism and I do it by borrowing the thought of John Paul II.
18.1. According to the ineptitude of the individual
Pope, the man is unable to discern between good and evil. In fact, "the power to decide good and evil does not belong to man but to God alone" (John Paul II 1993: 35). Man is only free to obey God, and he must do so through the Church. "When people ask the Church the questions raised by their consciences, when in the Church the faithful turn to their Bishops and Pastors, the Church's reply contains the voice of Jesus Christ, the voice of truth about good and evil. In the words spoken by the Church there resounds, in people, the voice of God "(John Paul II 1993: 117).
According to the church, not worth the personal point of view, nor the commitment to deepen the truth by individuals who, by definition, can not get to the truth. It does not even constitute the majority principle. The moral law, in fact, "is not in any way established by following the rules and forms a kind of democratic deliberation" (John Paul II 1993: 113).
18.2. Dictatorship by choice
What kind of government can emerge from these ideological presuppositions? Certainly not a democratic government.
For example, let's see how he developed his political thinking a Catholic priest, who answers to the name of RJ Neuhaus (1994). After expressing some appreciation of democracy and the principle of majority, the scholar notes that not always what the majority approves necessarily correspond to the truth (p. 90). One might expect at this point, Neuhaus discover that the individual be as free and independent thinking, and say that he is the true engine of human progress. But it turns out that the religious wants nothing less than free "from the bars of the autonomous self" and deliver the individual to the church and the pope (p. 94-5). "Bound his allegiance to something greater than themselves, Catholics know that they become something more than what they are. In other words, freedom is not being true to yourself, but be free with the truth "(p. 103). Surrender their autonomy of thought here is the aspiration of the Catholic! I would feel satisfied if
Neuhaus at least admit this: the good Catholic give up their freedoms for the sake of God But no: he emphasizes the importance of freedom, to affirm that "where freedom is not assured, nothing is safe "(p. 166). Is perhaps the religious, referring to freedom of thought? He wants, perhaps, say that the Catholic is free to fight for what he believes, in good conscience, right and true? Not at all. This freedom is not allowed! The only freedom that is granted is to submit to the authority of religion and become a slave of the institution of the Church. "Freedom is given to man to make possible the free obedience to truth and free self-giving love" (p. 173). This profiled by Neuhaus is certainly the most savage and oppressive dictatorships, the desired by choice: from dictatorship imposed from the outside can, sooner or later, freed from dictatorship, but that you yourself choose who you can never leave?
There is no need to read a book by a Catholic you know where it is going. Whatever the argument, the conclusion is always the same: the self-denial and of his freedom of thought. The Catholic is one who has his own brain to the pope, saying, "I do not need, you manage them. He can not be convinced of anything, because it must always follow the Pope's position. If a Catholic, for example, was deeply convinced that Christ would approve the use of contraceptives, he could not support and promote that thought until the pope should be a different view. If a Catholic scientist, after many trials, to come and discover a substance capable of making man more intelligent and unselfish and has no negative effects and wanted to promote its use to make a better world, believing it to obey the command of Christ " multiply your talent, "he would not be a good Catholic if you did not obtain the approval of the pope.
The church does not recognize the freedom of thought. But then what good Catholic to undertake in order to progress, then if what he believes to be true and right is vetted by the pope? What they need the brain? Why would God with free thought and self-employment? The study costs sacrifice. Might as well keep quiet and be guided. The doctrine of the church leads the citizen to an obedient and submissive attitude and in so doing, it becomes antithetical to any form of democratic government and functional paternalistic and authoritarian governments, but these should be the product of a "free" choice of the person.
18.3. Advantages and limitations
The main advantage of a theocratic regime is to exclude all doubt personal and social horizon.
The main disadvantage can be identified in the denial of freedom of thought and conscience of people.
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